"Sending a reply?"
Helen, who had been momentarily stunned, soon understood what Alicia meant and nodded.
"Very well. Please convey the allied forcesʼ resolve to the Grand Duke." With Helenʼs permission, Alicia grinned and twirled the iron spike in her hand.
She then gripped it firmly, preparing to throw.
Rumble—
The power of her immense strength surged from her.
Crack!
The immense force dented the surface of the iron spike, leaving the imprint of her hand.
Without even taking a running start, Alicia stood in place and hurled the iron spike straight toward where Count Vlad was.
Whoosh!
The iron spike sliced through the air, creating a sound far louder than Count Vladʼs earlier throw.
Aliciaʼs iron spike flew toward him with enough force to pierce right through him.
Count Vlad remained motionless on his horse, watching the iron spike hurtling toward him.
Even as the members of the Dracul Knight Order beside him hurriedly pulled out their shields to prepare a defense, the iron spike closed in at tremendous speed.
But it veered slightly off course from where Count Vlad stood, grazing past his side.
What happened next was astonishing.
The iron spike Alicia had thrown embedded itself into the wall behind him, and the sheer power behind it caused the surrounding stone to crumble away.
Rumble!
One entire section of the sturdy rampart collapsed completely.
Even the Dracul Knight Order, known as the Cold-Blooded Knight Order, couldnʼt hide their shock at the sight.
Alicia, who had witnessed it all, clicked her tongue in regret and dusted off her hands.
"Damn, the old Sword King is gonna chew me out again. For not controlling my strength."
She had thrown it intending to blow off the Red Kingʼs head in one go, but it had missed just short, demolishing an innocent section of the wall instead.
But Helen, standing beside her, shook her head at Aliciaʼs words.
"No. The Grand Duke has sent a splendid reply."
Aliciaʼs counterattack had turned Count Vladʼs provocation against him, boosting the alliesʼ morale instead.
Moreover, there were still those among the central continent families who looked down on the northern knights, but Aliciaʼs display had instantly reversed their views.
'This could actually serve as an opportunity to solidify the allied forcesʼ unity.ʼ
Count Vlad, who had been standing still on his horse, stared intently at Helen and Alicia before turning his mount and heading back into the castle.
The Dracul Knight Order followed the count inside, leaving only the grotesque iron spikes embedded menacingly in front of the castle.
Fortunately, traces of the damage to Jupiter Castleʼs ramparts remained as well.
Without Aliciaʼs feat, the sight of those densely packed iron spikes would have steadily eroded the alliesʼ morale every time they looked at them.
Helen turned to Duke beside her and called him with a resolute expression.
"Sir Duke."
When Duke looked at her, Helen glanced toward Alicia and the Himonas Knight Order before continuing.
"Iʼve come up with a plan to assault Jupiter Castle."
*
Bang!
Castro Pollock slammed his fist on the desk and hurled the wine glass in front of him to the floor.
"Damn it! What the hell was Count Vlad doing out there!"
He too had watched as Count Vlad embedded the spikes to provoke the allied forces.
He had been quite satisfied up to the point where the count threw a spike at Helen Draker, the Knight of Steel and supreme commander.
Even with his provocation, the allied forces wouldnʼt be able to respond effectively, and in that situation, their morale would plummet, leading to swift disintegration—thatʼs what he had thought, viewing it as a clever move by the count.
But then the Grand Duke of the North had suddenly struck back, completely turning the tide.
Castro Pollock ground his teeth.
"Send out the cavalry right now and crush them! I canʼt stand watching these stinking northerners rampage inside the sacred empire any longer!"
Castro Pollock usually maintained a gentlemanly demeanor, but when non-humans were involved, he became an entirely different person.
He already harbored a deep loathing for the northern continent, where various races lived intermixed, so seeing its ruler, the Grand Duke of the North, put on such a prominent display ignited an unbearable rage in him.
His adjutant, standing nearby, spoke up as he watched Castro Pollock.
"My lord, Jupiter Castle has a structure advantageous for defense. There seems to be no need to abandon that advantage and attack them."
The adjutantʼs words were something Castro Pollock already knew well.
In the first place, establishing a position at Jupiter and devising a long-term strategy had been his plan.
But the thought of northerners scurrying around in his own front yard made his skin crawl as if he had hives.
Just as he was about to force the order again, a servant approached, bowed, and said,
"The vice captain of the Dracul Knight Order wishes to see the corps commander."
Castro Pollock suppressed his anger with effort, took a deep breath, and regained his usual expression. "Let him in."
With permission, the vice captain of the Dracul Knight Order entered the office.
Snap!
After a crisp salute, the vice captain addressed Castro Pollock.
"Iʼve come to relay my lordʼs command."
At the vice captainʼs words, Castro Pollockʼs brow furrowed slightly.
He was the one occupying Jupiter Castle and leading the legion.
But compared to the Red Kingʼs renown, his own title as a knight of the Gemini Palace was rather minor.
Because of that, he himself was cautious when dealing with the Red King, so having the vice captain openly relay a command to him left a sour taste.
'But in this situation, without the Red King, weʼd be at a disadvantage.ʼ
As someone skilled in navigating politics, he forced his expression to relax and said to the vice captain,
"Haha, what message did the count send?"
The vice captain, with a disciplined yet emotionless face, relayed the Red Kingʼs words.
"He said the allied forces will soon launch an attack. We must prepare defenses accordingly."
Castro Pollockʼs brow furrowed again at the vice captainʼs words.
"The allied forces will attack the castle first?"
Castro thought there was no way the allied forces would strike first, knowing Jupiter Castleʼs natural defenses, especially now that the Red King had joined them.
The vice captain then spoke again.
"My lord said the allied forces will provoke the corps commander into opening the gates first. That too is an attack, so we must prepare for it."
The vice captainʼs words made Castroʼs expression harden.
No matter that it was the Red King, Castro Pollock himself was the current commander of the legion.
It was rude enough to send a subordinate instead of coming in person, especially with such insulting language.
Sensing the atmosphere turning tense, the adjutant beside Castro stepped forward before he could explode.
"The Red King must be quite upset over the Grand Duke of the Northʼs provocation. But excessive worry could harm the legionʼs morale, so it would be best to exercise restraint." The vice captain offered no particular response to the adjutantʼs words.
Castro Pollock swallowed his boiling rage and forced himself to speak.
"...I understand the countʼs intent, so tell him thereʼs no need for concern." The vice captain saluted crisply with his impassive expression and left the office.
After the vice captain departed, Castro clenched his fist, his face now fully hardened.
'...Damn it.ʼ
It was insulting, but for now, relying on the Red Kingʼs prestige to check the allied forces was the best course.
Since Duke Crevan de Panion had turned his back, no black knights had rallied to his legion, leaving him uneasy, and the Red Kingʼs joining at Jupiter had been his only support.
Thus, he had no choice but to suppress his anger.
For ultimate victory, Castro Pollock endured his fury with a deep sigh.
But this resolve shattered the very next day.
Starting from the day after the Red Kingʼs provocation, Alicia began hurling iron ball– spiked rods toward Jupiter Castle.
Boom boom boom boom crash!
Even the sharp spikes had collapsed a section of the wall when embedded, so the heavy iron ball–spiked rods flying in were no different from siege weapons.
The iron balls Alicia launched not only knocked away the menacing spikes embedded in front of the castle but also slammed into the ramparts, marring them badly.
Seeing this, the fear of the field of spikes in the alliesʼ hearts vanished, and their morale rose even higher.
On top of that, they deliberately mingled northern knights with other races, holding drinking parties and using magic to amplify their voices as they mocked the defenders.
"Hahaha! Castro Pollock, you bastard! Come drink with me!"
Castro Pollock, already a racial supremacist, was displeased with the northerners encamped right in front of him, and their overt taunts only fueled his anger further.
Yet he still exercised patience somehow.
If he didnʼt react, theyʼd tire of it in a few days—or so he thought, but he clearly didnʼt understand the northernersʼ nature.
The mockery from the northerners grew worse with each passing day.
"Hahaha! I heard the reason that bastard Castro became a racial supremacist was because a dwarf girl rejected him!"
"Hahaha! A dwarf girl? I heard it was an orc girl who dumped him!"
The insulting words, amplified by magic, echoed all the way into Jupiter Castle.
After a week of this standoff, Castro Pollock finally exploded.
He shouted at his adjutant.
"Iʼm going to wipe them out right now!"
As Castro yelled in excitement, the adjutant tried to calm him.
"Engaging the allied forces in full battle now isnʼt ideal. Over time, theyʼll lose their justification and disintegrate for sure." Castro roared at his adjutant.
"How can you say that after seeing what theyʼre doing now! Theyʼve even brought in bards to compose mocking songs about me and sing them all day! Even inside the castle, I can hear those tunes!"
As someone from a noble family with a long tradition in the Rom Empire, Castro valued honor and had a strong sense of pride.
Being ridiculed by the northerners and other races he viewed as barbarians was something he could no longer endure; he exploded in rage.
In the Rom Empire, where noble families upheld traditions from the Seven Kingdoms era, such pride clashes between houses were common.
Feeling his honor gravely insulted, Castro wanted nothing more than to fling open the gates and sweep them all away.
But he wasnʼt a fool; he knew leading the legion out himself would be idiotic.
Castro tried to calm his excitement, frowning deeply before sighing and speaking slowly.
"Whatʼs the countʼs response?"
The adjutant replied calmly.
"Thereʼs still no reaction; it remains quiet."
Given that the Red King had first told Castro not to respond to the provocation, it seemed he intended to hunker down in the castle.
Castro ground his teeth at the adjutantʼs words.
At the same time, another suspicion crept into his mind.
'Could the count be waiting for my prestige to fall, then strike me at a critical moment to seize Jupiter?ʼ
Sleepless from the enemiesʼ taunts, all sorts of thoughts plagued him.
Castro Pollock pressed his temples, organizing his thoughts.
After a long moment, he said to the adjutant,
"Tell the dark mages to open a gate toward the allied forces." The adjutant was startled by his words.
"Opening a gate here could isolate our forces at Thermo Gate." Castro shot up from his seat.
"Wipe them out with monsters, then send reinforcements from here to push toward Rom!" He gritted his teeth and continued.
"If we hit them from behind with monsters, they wonʼt stay so leisurely. While theyʼre fleeing in panic, send the mercenaries and Dracul Knight Order to sweep them away—the allied forces will crumble in no time."
The adjutantʼs face hardened at Castroʼs words.
But it seemed impossible to reverse his already-set decision.
'Hunkering down here is best, but if the allied forces hold out longer and Romʼs reconstruction finishes, with Prince Leo rallying other families, we could face a counterattack instead.ʼ
After coolly deliberating, the adjutant nodded.
"Understood. Iʼll relay your orders to the dark mages."
Once the adjutant left, Castro Pollock walked to the window and gazed at the allied camp still noisily reveling outside the castle.
His eyes turned cold.
"Just wait a little longer, you filthy subhumans. Iʼll hang your heads on the ramparts."